Daily quiz will yield information on your cancer risk

April 2, 2012

The Philadelphia Inquirer

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the creators of OncoLink.org, a website providing cancer information to professionals, patients, and the public launched by Penn Medicine oncologists, weren't just early adopters; they were pioneers. "What makes us unique is that the content is from health-care providers based on their interaction with patients. Most sites employ medical writers," said James Metz, MD, associate professor in the department of Radiation Oncology and OncoLink's editor in chief. This month, OncoLink is partnering with the Inquirer and Philly.com on a new daily online feature, a cancer risk assessment quiz, which complements OncoLink's online "What's My Risk" survey, in which users fill out a questionnaire about lifestyle and demographics to receive a report with general advice for reducing cancer risk. "Our feeling was, it doesn't really matter what the actual number is; what matters is what you do about it," said Carolyn Vachani, MSN, RN, Oncolink Nurse Educator. More than 1.6 million people are expected to be diagnosed with cancer this year, according to the American Cancer Society. The Inquirer reports that even though the rate of new cancer cases is dropping and the survival rate is increasing, it pays to know where the risks lie. This month's philly.com features from OncoLink will feature facts people may not know about the risk of getting cancer. Each day in April, users will find a true-false question and answer from OncoLink designed to dispel common misconceptions about the the risk of cancers, including melanoma, cervical cancer, lung cancer, and breast cancer... Read More